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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Google ordered to move 'mystery' barge from San Francisco Bay

A state agency in California has ordered Google to move its
“mystery” barge from the San Francisco Bay because the company has not filed
the proper paperwork, the state said on Monday.

San Francisco Bay conservation and development commission
executive director, Larry Goldzband, said the agency did not authorize the
construction and that it had received numerous complaints about it.

"It needs to move," Goldzband told the AP.

There are at least two Google barges – one in Portland,
Maine and the other is docked at Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay.
Goldzband said the Treasure Island development authority could face fines for
allowing the project. He also said the issue could be resolved if Google moves
its structure to permitted construction facilities in the bay.

"We just received the letter from the San Francisco Bay
Conservation and Development Commission and we are reviewing it,” Google said
in an emailed statement.

Details about the construction of the barges is shrouded in
secrecy. San Francisco city officials said they didn’t know what was being
built in the bay and US Coast Guard inspectors had to sign non-disclosure
agreements.

Once their existence became public knowledge it sparked
speculation and conspiracy theories. Weeks later, the company said it was
exploring using the barges “as interactive learning centers”.

This is not the first time Google has encountered legal
trouble with a non-digital transportation vessel. A report from Nasa said
Google executives’ fleet of private planes, including a “light attack jet”, the
company purchased to fulfill a lease agreement, was being supplied with fuel
from the government agency at cheap prices because of a “misunderstanding”.